Child s carriage



1No Model.)

T. K. FORMAN.

GHILDS CARRIAGE. No. 409,677.' 131116111611 Mgg?, 1889.

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THOMAS K. FORMAN, OF VVAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS.

CHILDS CARRIAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 409,677, dated August 27, 18.89.

Application tiled March 2l, 1889.

T0 @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS K. FORMAN, a citizen of Canada, residing at XVaukegan, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Perambulators or Carriages for Children, of which the following' is a specification.

My invention relates to perainbulators for carrying children; and its objects are to alter and improve the construction of such a perambulator se that when not in use its sides and the halves of its bottom, ends, and axles may be folded together, so as to reduce the space that it will occupy, and to make such other alterations in construction that by detaching the axles the pera-mbulator will become a sleigh. I attain these objects by the eontrivances illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a perambulator embodying my invention. Fig, 2 is a vertical longitildinal section of the same, taken on the line l l of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the same, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detail bottom plan view of one of the axles of the same, showing the locking device for the axles. Fig. 5 is a detail inverted plan view of a part of the bottom of the perambulater, showing the locking device for an endboard of the same g and Fig. 6 is a detail view of the crosssbar of the handles. The dotted lines in Fig. l illustrate the peral'nbulator when its sections are folded together.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, A is the body of the perambulator. This is made in halves, the seetiondine running longitudinally, dividing' the bottom or bed a lengthwise and the ends a crosswise.

B represents hinges which secure to each other the sides a2 and ends e. These are placed on the outer surfaces of said sides and ends, so the sections of the ends may swing outward.

B represents hinges secured on the inner surface of the ends at their section-line, so as to permit the sections of the ends to swing outward.

l) represents hinges iixed en the inner surface of the bottom and sides of the body, se-

Sen'al No. 304,190. (No model.)

curing the former and latter to each other, so to permit the sections of the bottom to swing upward, and b 1'/ are hinges secured to the bottom of the bed on its lower surface at the section-line, se as te permit the halves of the bottom to swing upward.

C C are staples secured to alternate parts of the ends below the bottom of the bed, and C C are hooks secured to corresponding parts of the bottom of the bed, so as to connect with the staples.

The body is secured upon the springs D. Upon the lower part of these the bars D are secured. These are bent upward at the rear and extend to a suitable height to be used as handles. The cross-bar D2 is pivoted at one end to one of these, and its opposite end and the end of the other bar are provided with any suitable means of fastening the one to the other temporarily. Metal bands or plates D'rs are secured upon the bottom of the bars D and ext-end beyond the bars and curve upward somewhat at the front. rlhus prepared the bars may serve as the runners of a sleigh when the axles and wheels of the perambulw tor have been detached from it. I expressly design my invention to be used as -either a carriage or a sleigh.

E E are the axles of the perambulater. Each of these is made in four parts. The middle parts are connected by the hinges e, secured to the lower side of the axles, and said parts are connected also with the respective outer parts of the axles by the hinges e', secured to their upper side. The said outer parts are secured beneath the bars D by the bolts c2, passing upward through said parts and bars. rlhese are common screw-threaded bolts, and upon them the thumb-screws cS are used to fasten the axles and bars tightly to gether.

F F are bars pivoted, respectively, to alternate middle parts of the axles on their under sides. Notchesf are made in them on epposite sides at such points as will bring said notches into coincidence with the bolts e2 when the bars F are turned till they are parallel -with the axles. 1When thus turned, the said bars are held iirmly in place by the buttonsfji, pivoted to the sides of the axles. The axles terminate in ordinary spindles ICO upon which wheels maybe placed. Any umbrella-like shade can be secured in any suitable manner to one end of the body.

The perambulator is folded up in the following way: Remove the temporary fastening of the cross-bar D2 and lower the tree end of the bar till the bar is vertical, disconnect the hooks C C from the staples C C, turn the buttons f j", turn the bars F F till they are at right angles with the axles, push upward on the axles and on the bottom of the body and outward on its ends, and then press all the corresponding parts together. Thus the folding' is accomplished.

Itis obvious that by reversing the above operation the parts will all be brought into normal position and there locked, rendering the carriage ready for use. t

The advantages of such a carriage are obvious. Vhen folded7 it will occupy so little space that it can be easily carried while traveling, picnicing, &c. It will be found especially convenient by persons living in apartment-houses, where every inch of space must be utilized. It can be transported without Ainconvenience up and down stairs and in elevators, and can be kept in even a shallow closet when not in use.

The advantage of making the body of unyielding material throughout (instead ot partly of leather, ttc.) is that each part forms a strut-brace, tending to hold the different sections of the body in position when open.

The advantage of makin g the bod y as a whole capable ot' being folded without the necessity of First partially dismembering it is obvious.

The advantage of a bottom opening upward over one opening downward is the obvious tact that the childs weight is always present to keep the bottom down in place, thus dispensing with other and special bracing for that purpose.

The advantage ot locking the end sections of the body to the bottom sections by the hooks C and staples C, located near the middle joints ot both bottom and end, is that a single locking device (as shown, one hook and one staple for a given end) answers for both the bott-om or bed and the end.

The advantage of an automatically and simultaneously l'olding complete integral perambulator-body over composite or incomplete bodies is that the operator is not obliged to build the carriage every time he uses it..

That- I claim as new in my said invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent oi' the United States, isg

In a perambulator bisccted longitudinally and connected as to its corresponding sections by hinges, the combination of the bolts c2, securing the axles to the bars D', the bars F F, formed with thenotchesff on opposite sides in a common arc with said bolts, pivotcd to alternate sections of the axles` and the buttonsf'f, pivoted on the sides ot the axles, substantially as and lor the purpose specied.

THOMAS K. FORMAN.

Vituesses:

C. L. BAsBE, E. C. CRAWFORD. 

